to be better suitable for use in food product innovation. The complex-
ity of the concept of product quality in the food sector requires a spe-
cific approach and these systems should be adapted in order to be
effective tools for innovation.
SUMMARY
Our knowledge about the relationships between market changes, con-
sumer behavior, food products and handling technologies is insufficient.
Nevertheless, there are promising developments, and a turning point has
been reached with respect to thinking about innovation. Food produc-
tion systems of the future can no longer be solely production-driven but
should be primarily consumer-driven. There is a need for a chain-
oriented approach to product innovation, which considers the whole food
supply chain, from breeders via handling up to the consumer. One out-
come should be a unified concept of product quality and acceptance
throughout the production chain. Moreover, there is a need for the de-
velopment of new concepts in which the various disciplinary approaches
are combined into one integrated, technomanagerial approach. Techno-
logical inventions, such as in the field of biotechnology, have to be trans-
lated into products that are attractive to consumers. Changing consumer
values and habits will stimulate innovation in food production tech-
nologies in order to produce suitable new products. This interdepen-
dency between consumer wants and needs on the one hand and
technologies and research on the other has been recognized by many ac-
tors in the supply chain of fruits and vegetables but has not yet been im-
plemented systematically. This interrelationship should receive more
attention in the modeling of food product innovation. The stepwise ap-
proach proposed in this chapter deserves further attention in developing
it into a useful approach to strategic investment in product innovation,
in particular in future technologies and R&D programs.
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